Whos Who Among the Godless

Atheists, agnostics, freethinkers, Brights… no matter what you call them, non-believers are a growing segment of the U.S. population -- some estimate as high as 14%. They're also exerting more and more influence on public life.

1. Sam Harris

Sam Harris catapulted to prominence with his 2004 book "The End of Faith," which
won the 2005 PEN Award for Nonfiction and spent weeks on the New York Times
bestseller list. In the book, Harris argues that the root claims of religion can
lead to terrorism and the oppression of women, and that religious tolerance
itself is a problem; broad-minded people excuse fanatical behavior by
invoking religion. While Harris has spoken out against religions (especially
Islam), he told
Beliefnet that he practices Zen meditation and sees value in mystical
experiences. His new book, "Letter to a Christian Nation," will be released in
September.